1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve? The stasis of the play is at the courtroom in which the People vs. Daniel White is happening. The stasis includes the judge, Dan White, Norman, Schmidt, the witnesses, and the jurors.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken? The intrusion of the play are the tapes that show Dan White confessing and often pausing to cry about killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk. The courtroom knows George Moscone is going to jail, but the question is: for what? It all comes down to whether he will go away for murder or manslaughter, and the tapes paint him in a picture where he was not in charge of what he was doing. With the jurors being people more likely to feel sorrow for him, the tapes made that come out in them in a literal way.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this? When it comes to what is at the heart of Execution of Justice, I often think about the question of what will happen to Daniel White. I think about what the jury will convict him of, and if it will be what he deserves, especially when he believes in the death penalty and most of the jurors are Irish Catholic. So, when I think of the unique factor of the play that causes the turn of events, I think of the jury. The title plays into the jury being the unique factor because the “execution of justice” comes down to whether they will actually convict him of murder, or something with a lighter sentence.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) The main dramatic question of the play is: Could Daniel White walk away from this? What will the jury convict Dan White of doing?
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers. Obstacles that Schmidt faces include me against fate, me against another individual, and me against society. Schmidt has to defend Dan White, who at the time, was probably the most hated man in San Francisco. He faces a “me against fate” obstacle because everyone knows George Moscone is guilty, he admitted to it. But Schmidt found a way around it by agreeing with that, and using it to his advantage by asking the question of “how guilty,” in terms of sentencing. In his rebuttal, he said, “He is guilty. But the degree of responsibility is the issue here.” Schmidt faces the obstacle of “me against another individual” all throughout the play, that individual being Norman, the prosecutor. Although Norman did not do such a good job, Schmidt had to make sure the jury swayed towards him and what he was saying instead of what Norman was. He didn’t waste any time trying to say that Dan White wasn’t guilty, but spent time on trying to discredit White’s mental health and show that it was not premeditated, despite that it was pointed out that White avoided metal detectors and security and went through a window, and brought a .38 caliber. When it comes to “me against society,” Schmidt is literally defending a man that killed the voices of the LGBTQ community at that time. Daniel White was even told not to come back to San Francisco after he served his sentence because of what he did. It was clear to say that Daniel White helped drive a wedge in society by killing Moscone and Milk, and Schmidt was working to get him a lighter sentence. Whether Schmidt had the same values as White, it was clear that he was going against a large sum of society by defending him. When it comes to Norman, he faces a “me against another individual” obstacle more than anything else. At first, he was a little too confident that Daniel White would go to jail, and because of that, he didn’t pay close enough attention to the jury and who was in it. He underestimated Schmidt, and Schmidt took that to his advantage. It came down to Norman trying to refute Schmidt’s claims about Dan White, more so than trying to make sure the jury knew what was supposed to be done at the end of the trial.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice. In Execution of Justice, the most theatrical moments are when Dianne Feinstein reveals the deaths of Moscone and Harvey Milk, when Dan White talks with the inspectors, and when the jurors read the verdict. In the beginning of the play, the plot opens up with Dianne Feinstein telling the people of San Francisco that Milk and Moscone have been shot and killed. The crowd erupts with shock, and then she tells them that the main suspect is Daniel White. This sets the tone for the play, and it also sets the importance of what White will be convicted of. It is a reminder that these were true events, and that the play is mirroring what happened in real life. When Daniel White confesses on tape, this affects the jury in the way that his lawyer Schmidt wants it to. It makes it look like White wasn’t in charge of what he was doing, as if he somehow let himself react without being there, and came back to realize what he’d done. When the jurors read the verdict, this is probably the most disappointing thing in the play’s timespan. Daniel White is sentenced to seven years for killing two people, and he himself believed in the death penalty. This part is made even more dramatic with the brief inclusions of others, such as Denman saying, “It’s a divided city,” or Norman with his head in his hands, the views of riot police, and Harry Britt (Milk’s successor) saying, “I’m optimistic about San Francisco.
The stasis of the play is at the courtroom in which the People vs. Daniel White is happening. The stasis includes the judge, Dan White, Norman, Schmidt, the witnesses, and the jurors.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken?
The intrusion of the play are the tapes that show Dan White confessing and often pausing to cry about killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk. The courtroom knows George Moscone is going to jail, but the question is: for what? It all comes down to whether he will go away for murder or manslaughter, and the tapes paint him in a picture where he was not in charge of what he was doing. With the jurors being people more likely to feel sorrow for him, the tapes made that come out in them in a literal way.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this?
When it comes to what is at the heart of Execution of Justice, I often think about the question of what will happen to Daniel White. I think about what the jury will convict him of, and if it will be what he deserves, especially when he believes in the death penalty and most of the jurors are Irish Catholic. So, when I think of the unique factor of the play that causes the turn of events, I think of the jury. The title plays into the jury being the unique factor because the “execution of justice” comes down to whether they will actually convict him of murder, or something with a lighter sentence.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The main dramatic question of the play is: Could Daniel White walk away from this? What will the jury convict Dan White of doing?
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers.
Obstacles that Schmidt faces include me against fate, me against another individual, and me against society. Schmidt has to defend Dan White, who at the time, was probably the most hated man in San Francisco. He faces a “me against fate” obstacle because everyone knows George Moscone is guilty, he admitted to it. But Schmidt found a way around it by agreeing with that, and using it to his advantage by asking the question of “how guilty,” in terms of sentencing. In his rebuttal, he said, “He is guilty. But the degree of responsibility is the issue here.” Schmidt faces the obstacle of “me against another individual” all throughout the play, that individual being Norman, the prosecutor. Although Norman did not do such a good job, Schmidt had to make sure the jury swayed towards him and what he was saying instead of what Norman was. He didn’t waste any time trying to say that Dan White wasn’t guilty, but spent time on trying to discredit White’s mental health and show that it was not premeditated, despite that it was pointed out that White avoided metal detectors and security and went through a window, and brought a .38 caliber. When it comes to “me against society,” Schmidt is literally defending a man that killed the voices of the LGBTQ community at that time. Daniel White was even told not to come back to San Francisco after he served his sentence because of what he did. It was clear to say that Daniel White helped drive a wedge in society by killing Moscone and Milk, and Schmidt was working to get him a lighter sentence. Whether Schmidt had the same values as White, it was clear that he was going against a large sum of society by defending him. When it comes to Norman, he faces a “me against another individual” obstacle more than anything else. At first, he was a little too confident that Daniel White would go to jail, and because of that, he didn’t pay close enough attention to the jury and who was in it. He underestimated Schmidt, and Schmidt took that to his advantage. It came down to Norman trying to refute Schmidt’s claims about Dan White, more so than trying to make sure the jury knew what was supposed to be done at the end of the trial.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice.
In Execution of Justice, the most theatrical moments are when Dianne Feinstein reveals the deaths of Moscone and Harvey Milk, when Dan White talks with the inspectors, and when the jurors read the verdict. In the beginning of the play, the plot opens up with Dianne Feinstein telling the people of San Francisco that Milk and Moscone have been shot and killed. The crowd erupts with shock, and then she tells them that the main suspect is Daniel White. This sets the tone for the play, and it also sets the importance of what White will be convicted of. It is a reminder that these were true events, and that the play is mirroring what happened in real life. When Daniel White confesses on tape, this affects the jury in the way that his lawyer Schmidt wants it to. It makes it look like White wasn’t in charge of what he was doing, as if he somehow let himself react without being there, and came back to realize what he’d done. When the jurors read the verdict, this is probably the most disappointing thing in the play’s timespan. Daniel White is sentenced to seven years for killing two people, and he himself believed in the death penalty. This part is made even more dramatic with the brief inclusions of others, such as Denman saying, “It’s a divided city,” or Norman with his head in his hands, the views of riot police, and Harry Britt (Milk’s successor) saying, “I’m optimistic about San Francisco.